:N'o. 644] INHERITANCE OF PLUMAGE COLOR 



243 



This pattern is alike in botli sexes except for the slightly 

 different appearance caused by structural differences in 

 the hackle and saddle feathers. 



The down color of newly hatched Columbian chicks is 

 white or a yellowish white like the down characteristic 

 of the chicks of many white varieties of poultry, e.g., 

 White Leghorns. Black or gray markings api>ear on 

 most Columbian chicks as a spot on the head, or as dor- 

 sal stripes on the head or back and in the developing 

 wing quills. This pattern varies in different individual^ 

 from an entire absence of dark pigment to the presence 

 of rather heavy dark dorsal stripes. 



The color variety chosen for crossing with Columbian 

 was buff, since this offered a clear contrast in the absence 

 of white and the uniformity of coloration and because 

 the plumage color of both sexes is practically the same. 

 Moreover, buff is known to be recessive to many other 

 plumage colors and patterns and for this reason is less 

 likely to carry other factors which might complicate the 

 results. 



The first crosses were made between a Columbian male 

 extracted from the second generation of a cross between 

 Light Brahma and White Leghorn,- and purebred Buff 

 Orpington females. 



Twenty-three chicks were hatched from these crosses. 

 Of these, twelve were predominantly white in the down, 

 and eleven were luiff. Of the whites four were pure 

 white, five had a black streak or spot on the head and 

 saddle, and black pin feathers appearing in the wings, 

 and closely resembled purebred Light Brahma chicks in 

 color; one was smoky white and two were white with a 

 buff spot or streak on the head and neck. Of the buffs 

 eight were clear buff' in color, one was a very light buff 



2 The cross of Light Brahma by White Leghorn (quoted by permissiott 

 produced white birds in F^, generally with some ticking with black and 



Light Brahmas' contained the recessive allelomorph of this gene (i). 



